Device to separate rolled bars

ABSTRACT

Device to separate rolled bars ( 12 ), the bars ( 12 ) emerging from the cooling zone and being fed by conveyor means in a direction substantially transverse to the axis of the bars ( 12 ) and displaced along a plane by movement means ( 14 ), the movement means ( 14 ) being separated lengthwise, there being included a counting device ( 13 ) to form bundles consisting of a desired and defined number of bars ( 12 ), the device comprising a plurality of separator units ( 15 ) aligned lengthwise parallel to the bars ( 12 ) and each arranged between two adjacent movement means ( 14 ), each separator unit ( 15 ) comprising at least a pair of distancing pins (16), the distancing pins ( 16 ) including a first inactive position lowered and “retracted below the plane (“x”) on which the bars ( 12 ), lie and a second active position raised and protruding with respect to the plane (“x’”) on which the bars ( 12 ) lie and inserted between two adjacent bars ( 12 ), the distancing pins ( 16 ),in the first inactive position, having a reciprocal distance, taken in the direction of feed of the bars ( 12 ), less than the reciprocal distance which they have in a second active position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns a device to separate rolled bars as set forth inthe main claim.

The device is employed to separate and to reciprocally distance barsarriving from the cooling zone located downstream of the rolling orfinishing line, in order to obtain a better and more regular packagingof the bars.

The invention, in cooperation with a counting device, allows a desirednumber of bars to be arranged in layers or bundles, and prevents errorsbeing made in counting the bars due to the bars being overlapping andtwisted along the transport plane.

The device according to the invention is employed in the production byrolling of long products in bars, particularly but not only as theyemerge from multi-profile rolling processes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rolling plants for bars and sections normally include, downstream of thefinishing train, a cooling zone and a zone where bundles or layers areformed; here the bars are counted and, when the desired number of barsis reached to form the bundle, they are tied and discharged.

The problem during the process of forming the bundle is that the bars,located on the transport and discharge plane, are often overlapping andtwisted lengthwise, particularly when emerging from a multi-profileformation process. It is therefore often very difficult, when thedesired number of bars has been counted, to separate the last bar of onelayer from the first bar of the next layer, so as to proceed with thetying operation.

Moreover, mistakes in counting are very likely, and therefore the bundleor pack prepared does not have the expected number of bars.

Various separation devices have been proposed which lift at least theleading end of the last bar of one layer with respect to the plane offeed, in order to separate it from the adjacent bar.

However it is sometimes difficult to lift, as it is not possible toseparate bars which are overlapping and twisted together for aconsiderable part of their length.

Together with possible mistakes in the counting, this may lead to theformation of layers which do not have the same number of bars.

Furthermore, the lifting of the bar itself with respect to the plane offeed causes it to be axially misaligned.

Other solutions have proposed to use blades or movable arms which areinserted into the gap between two adjacent bars in order to separatethem.

If these means manage to separate the bars in correspondence with theleading ends, they cannot in any case eliminate twisting and overlappinglengthwise to the bars themselves.

These problems therefore cause non-uniform and unhomogeneous layers tobe formed, which creates considerable problems in the following step ofpackaging the bundles of bars.

The risk of this situation developing is even greater in the case ofmulti-profile rolling where the bars reach the discharge plane even moretwisted and overlapping.

GB-A-A.011.217 describes a device suitable to separate a pack consistingof a desired number of bars from a mass of bars arranged on a grid-typetransport plane.

The device comprises a plurality of disks, at least partly wedge-shaped,arranged in alignment along the bars and below the transport plane.

The disks are suitable to be moved, with a movement of rotation, from aposition underneath the transport plane to a position above thetransport plane and progressively inserted between two bars, one afterthe other from one end of the bars to the other.

The device is not suitable to be employed with bars arriving from arolling line, and particularly from a multi-profile rolling line,inasmuch as it is not able to separate adjacent bars which arrivetwisted and overlapping for a substantial part of their length.

Nor is the device suitable to separate by a certain distance the lastbar of the pack to be formed from the first bar of the mass of bars,inasmuch as the wedge shape of the disks allows only a minimumdistancing between two adjacent bars.

This can cause problems during counting, and in any case causes handlingproblems in the operations of tying and packaging of bundles or packscarried out downstream.

The present applicant has designed, tested and embodied this inventionto overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art, and to achievefurther advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is set forth and characterised in the main claim, whilethe dependent claims describe other characteristics of the idea of themain embodiment.

The purpose of the invention is to achieve a device which separates andreciprocally distances adjacent bars arriving from the cooling zone,located downstream of the rolling or finishing train, in order to obtainlayers which are uniform and orderly both in number and in thearrangement of the bars.

The separator device according to the invention cooperates with acounting device by means of which the rolled bars, fed by the conveyormeans located downstream of the cooling zone, are counted so as to formlayers with the desired number of bars.

The counting device also has the function of distancing from each otherat least the leading end sections of two adjacent bars.

The conveyor means displace the bars, in a direction orthogonal to theiraxis, from the position from which they emerge from the cooling zone tothe discharge and packaging zone.

The conveyor means define the transport plane of the bars and comprisemovement elements which are separated from each other lengthwise.

The separator device according to the invention comprises a plurality ofseparator units arranged substantially aligned parallel to the rolledbars as they are fed by the conveyor means; the separator units areseparated lengthwise and arranged in the spaces between adjacentmovement elements.

Each separator unit comprises at least a pair of distancing pinsassociated with relative drive means.

The distancing pins have at least a first inactive position, retractedbelow the plane on which the bars are fed, and a second active positionwherein they are taken progressively above the plane on which the barsare fed and, by inserting themselves between two adjacent bars, causethem to be progressively separated.

According to a variant, each separator unit comprises two pairs ofdistancing pins aligned parallel to the bars which have to be separated.

According to the invention, the distancing pins in the first inactiveposition have a reciprocal distance, taken in the direction of feed ofthe bars, which is less than the reciprocal distance which they have inthe second, active position.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, in the inactiveposition the distancing pins are arranged aligned substantially parallelto the bar, whereas in the active position they are progressivelyrotated until they are arranged transverse to the bars as they areinserted between them, and thus thrust them apart.

According to a variant, in the inactive position the distancing pins arearranged near each other and aligned substantially transverse to thebars, whereas, as they move to their active position, they progressivelybecome distanced from each other as they rise between the bars andthrust them apart.

According to the invention, the rolled bars as they arrive from thecooling zone are displaced by the transverse movement elements and takeninto correspondence with the separator device.

As they advance, the bars are counted by the counting device and at thesame time their leading end sections are at least partly separated.

When the counting device has counted the desired number of bars to forma layer or bundle, the distancing pins move from their inactive positionto their active position, inserting themselves into the gap between thelast bar counted in the layer and the bar immediately adjacent thereto,and then reciprocally separate them.

In a first embodiment, all the separator units are activatedsimultaneously.

According to a variant, particularly in the event that the bars arrivewith their middle portions and their trailing ends particularly twistedand overlapping, first the leading separator unit is activated, whichcooperates with the space between two bars caused by the action of thecounting device; and then gradually all the other separator units areactivated, so as to give a progressive separation of two adjacent bars,from the leading end to the trailing end.

The layer of bars formed is then sent to the accumulator and packagingmeans.

By activating the distancing pins the last bar of the layer is distancedfrom the one immediately adjacent, disentangling any possible twists oroverlaps between the two, and therefore ensuring that the bundle willhave the required number of bars.

Moreover, separation takes place on the plane of feed of the barsitself, thus limiting the risk of axial misalignment of the bars, andmaking the formation of the layers quicker and more functional.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The attached Figures are given as a non-restrictive example and show apreferential embodiment of the invention as follows:

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of the device to separate layersof rolled bars according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a view from above of a separator unit of the separatordevice as shown in FIG. 1 with the distancing pins in the activeposition;

FIG. 3 shows a lengthwise section of a separator unit of the separatordevice according to the invention with the distancing pins in a loweredposition.

FIG. 4 shows a section from A to A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows the enlarged section from B to B of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the attached Figures, the reference number 10 denotesgenerally the separator device for layers 11 of rolled bars 12 arrivingfrom the cooling zone located downstream of the rolling or finishingline, and fed by means of conventional conveyor means which are notshown here.

The separator device 10 cooperates with a counting device 13 of a knowntype, which is suitable to count the bars 12 fed by the conveyor meansso as to form layers or packs of a desired and pre-determined number ofbars 12; the layers or packs are then sent to the tying zone to formbundles of bars.

While the counting device 13, for example of the type with an endlessscrew or similar, is counting the bars 12, it also has the function ofseparating the respective leading end sections of the bars 12 accordingto the speed of advance of the transverse movement means 14.

The transverse movement means 14 consist of movement elements 14 a, 14b, for example, with a chain, separated lengthwise and driven byrespective means 26.

The transverse movement means 14 are suitable to displace the bars 12transversely to their longitudinal axis.

The separator device 10 according to the invention comprises a pluralityof separator units 15 arranged in alignment parallel to the bars 12 asthey are fed by the displacement means 26 and in the spaces betweenadjacent movement means 14 (FIG. 1).

The number of the separator units 15, and therefore substantially thelength of the separator device 10, is correlated to the length of thebars 12.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the separator units 15 aremovable lengthwise; it is possible to vary their interaxis, andtherefore the length of the separator device 10, according to the lengthof the bar 12.

According to a variant, the separator units 15, or at least some ofthem, can be excluded and/or de-activated.

Each separator unit 15 comprises, in this case, two pairs of distancingpins 16, aligned lengthwise to each other and therefore parallel to thebars 12.

The distancing pins 16 of each of the pairs are arranged initiallyparallel to the bars 12 and can be moved from a first inactive positionwherein they are lowered and retracted below the plane “x” on which thebars 12 lie (FIG. 3), to an active position wherein they are alignedwith each other in a transverse direction with respect to the bars 12,and wherein they are raised and protrude from the plane “x” (FIGS. 1 and2).

Each pair of distancing pins 16 is moved by an actuator 17 which has acylinder 17 a constrained to the box-like structure 115 of the separatorunit 15 and a stem 17 b hinging at the end on a connection section 18which is rotatably solid with an axially ribbed shaft 19 with which thedistancing pins 16 are associated, sliding lengthwise (FIGS. 4 and 5).

Each distancing pin 16 is also associated with a relative support 20which has at the end a roller 21 which runs inside a mating guide 22consisting of a shaped section 23 defining an arc of rotation of atleast 90°.

According to the invention, as the bars 12 are fed by the conveyor means14 they move and pass above the separator device 10.

During this step, the distancing pins 16 are in their lowered, inactiveposition, retracted below the plane “x” on which the bars 12 lie, so asto allow the bars 12 to pass.

When the counting device 13 has counted the number of bars 12 which areneeded to form the layer, the distancing pins 16 are displaced into theactive position, moving progressively above the plane “x” and insertingthemselves into the space between the last bar 12 counted and the bar 12immediately adjacent thereto.

To be more exact, during this step the stems 17 b of the actuators 17act on the connection section 18 and cause the axially ribbed shaft 19to rotate.

The rotation of the axially ribbed shaft 19 causes the progressivelifting of the distancing pins 16 with respect to the plane “x”, fromthe horizontal position (FIG. 3) to the vertically erect position (FIGS.1 and 2).

At the same time, the rotation of the axially ribbed shaft 19 causes therollers 21 to move along the relative guides 22, thus causing theprogressive rotation of the distancing pins 16 from the position ofparallel alignment to the position of transverse alignment to the bars12.

As the distancing pins 16 rotate, and cause the distance between the twopins 16 taken in the direction of feed of the bars 12 to increase, thisconsequently thrusts apart the two adjacent bars 12, to a maximum valueequal to the distance between the pins 16 themselves.

Moreover, the action of the distancing pins 16 allows them to be axiallyre-aligned so that the bars 12 downstream of the device 10 are paralleland separate.

In one embodiment of the invention the separator units 15 are activatedprogressively and sequentially from the leading end position 15 a to thetrailing end position 15 b of the separator device 10, thus determiningthe progressive separation of the two adjacent bars 12 from the leadingend to the trailing end thereof.

To be more exact, the distancing pins 16 of the leading separator unit15 a insert themselves into the space between two adjacent bars 12caused by the counting device 13, the distancing pins 16 of the secondseparator unit 15 insert themselves into the space caused by the leadingseparator unit 15 a, and so on until the last separator unit 15 b.

In the embodiment shown here, each separator unit 15 includes a pair ofsupporting rods 24 a, 24 b arranged substantially parallel to andaligned above the movement elements 14 a, 14 b transverse to the bars12.

The supporting rods 24 a, 24 b develop substantially above the aperture25 through which the distancing pins 16 pass and constitute an auxiliarysupport for the bars 12 as they pass through, thus impeding interferencewith the distancing pins 16 in their inactive position.

In this case, the central segment of the front supporting rod 24 a isshaped to allow the distancing pins 16 located behind it to rotate andlift.

What is claimed is:
 1. Device to separate rolled bars (12) emerging froma cooling zone and being fed by conveyor means in a directionsubstantially transverse to the axis of the bars (12), said devicecomprising movement means (14) separated lengthwise for displacing saidbars (12) along a plane (“x”), a counting device (13) to form bundlesconsisting of a desired and defined number of bars (12), the devicebeing characterised in that it comprises a plurality of separator units(15) aligned lengthwise parallel to the bars (12) and each arrangedbetween two adjacent movement means (14), each separator unit (15)comprising at least a pair of distancing pins (16) movable between afirst inactive position lowered and retracted below said plane (“x”) onwhich the bars (12) lie, and a second active position raised andprotruding with respect to said plane (“x”) and inserted between twoadjacent bars (12), said distancing pins (16), in the first inactiveposition, having a reciprocal distance from each other, taken in thedirection of feed of the bars (12), less than the distance from eachother in the second active position.
 2. Device as in claim 1,characterised in that the distancing pins (16), in their lowered,inactive position, are aligned with each other and parallel to the bars(12) and, in their raised active position, are able to progressivelyassume a position where they are aligned with each other but transversalto the bars (12).
 3. Device as in claim 1, characterised in that thedistancing pins (16), in their lowered, inactive position, are alignedwith each other transversal to the bars (12) and close to each otherand, in their raised active position, are able to progressively moveaway from each other.
 4. Device as in claim 1, characterised in that thetransition of the distancing pins (16) from the lowered position to theraised position and vice versa is governed by the rotation of a shaft(19) associated with drive means (17).
 5. Device as in claim 4,characterised in that the progressive transverse distancing of thedistancing pins (16) during the lifting step is functionally governed bythe rotation of a sliding element (21) on a relative guide (22) defininga sliding arc of at least 90°, the sliding element (21) being connectedrotatably to the shaft (19).
 6. Device as in claim 4, characterised inthat the drive means (17) consist of actuators.
 7. Device as in claim 1,characterised in that each separator unit (15) includes at least a rod(24 a, 24 b) to support bars (12) arranged substantially transverse tothe bars (12).
 8. Device as in claim 1, characterised in that theseparator units (15) are movable lengthwise parallel to the bars (12).9. Device as in claim 1, characterised in that said distancing pins (16)between said inactive position to said active position are able to moveprogressively and sequentially from a separator unit (15 a) positionedat the leading end of the bars (12) to another separator unit (15 b)positioned at the trailing end.